Fallen

It rains all week, and Luce journals all her interactions with Daniel. She wonders why he’s behaved so strangely with her and wishes that she could simply be with him. Luce decides to take some alone time after class, but Cam catches her outside the dorm. He flirts with her and remarks about her abandoning him after the memorial. He tugs her toward the dorm, but Luce refuses and promises to meet up with him later. Cam pulls her close and kisses her forehead, excited about their plans. The kiss is strangely soothing. Luce thinks that it will be fun to relax with Cam later, as he can put her at ease.

Luce heads to the gymnasium, her brain buzzing with thoughts about Daniel and Cam. She remembers her dream the previous night, in which she first kissed Cam, who stared at her inquisitively, and then kissed Daniel. She felt starved for Daniel’s kisses and could feel his wings wrapping around them. In the final moments before waking, Luce had turned to ash. Now, she swims laps in the pool to feel better and clear her head. She wishes that she could talk to Daniel and have a full conversation for once.

Penn interrupts Luce’s swimming; Cam told her where Luce went. Penn mentions the necklace again, and Luce asserts that she’s worn it—she fell asleep wearing it the other night and woke up with it hot in her hands. Penn has found more information on Daniel. She brings Luce to the library to see.

Miss Sophia helps Luce and Penn access the internet after hours. She’s still grieving over the fire and wants to distract herself by aiding their research. She tells them about the Grigori clan, an influential family in the ongoing research of fallen-angel folklore. She elaborates on the broad body of literature that features angels and the different kinds of angels there are to study. When Luce asks whether Daniel is related to the Grigori clan, Miss Sophia muses that it’s possible.

Luce and Penn use their limited internet time to write down as much as they can, planning to decipher it later. The computer logs them out just before Daniel can walk by and see what they are researching. He stops to look at Luce, then at Cam, who has snuck up on her. Cam caresses Luce’s cheek and hands her another velvet box, telling her to open it later. He makes Luce promise to meet him later. Before he goes, he kisses her on the lips.

Daniel suddenly punches Cam and tells him to stay away from Luce. The two boys begin fighting, with Cam taunting Daniel and Daniel threatening Cam. Luce tries to tell them to stop, but it’s futile. They take the fight outside, and Luce and Penn watch from the window. Eventually, a staff member, Mr. Cole, breaks up the fight. Luce looks inside the velvet box: It’s a golden invitation from Cam to meet him at the gates to the school after class tomorrow.

Cam and Daniel are absent from class the next day. Luce prepares for her date with Cam. She’s decided that it’s best to be honest with him and tell him that she isn’t interested in pursuing anything with him. At the school gates, Luce finds another note from Cam. He’ll be sending a car to pick her up and take her to his location. Luce is nervous about leaving campus with him. All she really wanted was to set him straight about her feelings. She climbs into the car.

The driver takes Luce to a backwater bar at the edge of the river. The place is run-down and unwelcoming, and the patrons look rough. Luce isn’t sure why Cam brought her out here. When she meets him, she can see that he has been drinking, and he tells Luce about the perks that come with sticking with him, like the car. She pulls the necklace from her pocket, trying to find the words to end things, but Cam takes it and puts it on her. He orders Luce champagne and apologizes for coming on strong and fighting Daniel. Luce is about to speak up when he insists that they toast first. Their toast catches the attention of a gruff older man, who mocks them and puts his hands on Luce’s arm. Cam swats the man’s hand away. Luce is distracted by a shadow above Cam’s head.

Suddenly, the man smashes a glass over Cam’s head. Cam begins to fight the man as the shadow fills the bar ceiling. Cam is unnervingly strong and fast. He beats the man up while Luce screams at him to stop. She flees the bar and lands in Daniel’s arms on her way out. He helps Luce to the car that he borrowed from Miss Sophia. Cam chases after them, begging Luce not to go with Daniel and warning her that it will end badly.

Daniel lectures Luce about her dangerous decision to come to the bar with Cam and blames himself. He drives them to the shore, saying that he needs time to think. Luce follows him along the beach, asking him for clarity. Daniel says that she doesn’t get it and never does. Luce loses her temper and rants to him about her life falling apart. Daniel stops her and tells her how smart and beautiful he thinks she is. Luce’s familiar feelings of love for Daniel swell. She wants Daniel to kiss her, but when he remains still, she moves in slowly.

They kiss passionately. It’s so heavenly that Luce feels like she could die for Daniel in that moment. When he pulls away, he is surprised that Luce is still there. He worries that something unspoken will take Luce from him. She cannot get answers from him. Daniel is so troubled that all he can do is repeat over and over that he doesn’t know what to do or how to stop what’s coming.

Luce has two notes: one from Cam, requesting that she meet him after school to talk about what happened, and one from Daniel, requesting that she meet him at the lake. Luce is still trying to understand the events of the previous night, when Daniel kissed her passionately and then panicked and refused to touch her, repeating that “something must have changed” and looking defeated (333). Luce slept the whole way back to Sword & Cross. Daniel tucked her into bed and kissed her forehead. He seemed to glow in the dark.

Luce decides to go see Cam first since she figures that it’s better to be honest with him before things progress with Daniel. Luce finds Cam at the cemetery gates, and they talk briefly about the previous night. Luce begins to let Cam down easy, but he guesses that she’s choosing Daniel. He doesn’t want her to make her choice yet. Luce informs him that she and Daniel kissed. Cam is also surprised that Luce is still there. Luce tries to leave, but Cam holds her in place and begs her for one kiss before she makes her final decision. Luce tries to get out of it, but Cam eventually locks his lips with hers. Luce’s anger turns into confusion, and she feels like she’s suddenly forgetting something or someone.

Gabbe rescues Luce from Cam’s kiss, punching Cam in the head. Daniel has also come, but he cannot look at Luce. She feels guilty that he saw Cam kissing her. Gabbe and Cam begin to fight, and Gabbe seems to have the upper hand, despite Cam’s demonstrated strength the night before.

Daniel and Luce talk. She explains that she planned to end things with Cam and says that the kiss was a mistake. Daniel embraces Luce and takes her for a walk away from where Gabbe is easily outmatching Cam physically. He wants to explain everything.

Daniel is unsure how to approach the subject, but he assures Luce that he’s telling the truth. Daniel made a choice a long time ago that got him damned. He’s explained this to Luce before, poorly, just as he’s doing now. He is cursed to fall in love with Luce over and over again and then watch it end in tragedy every time. While Daniel is immortal, Luce comes along every 17 years. Their time is always short-lived because as soon as Luce and Daniel get close, she dies. Daniel has tried to stay away from her, hide from her, or flee from her, but she always finds him. Luce is overwhelmed and terrified by what he’s saying. She doesn’t believe it.

Daniel thought he understood how things would go, but when he kissed Luce and it didn’t kill her, he became confused. He’s not sure why things are different this time. Sometimes just conversations like the one they’re having kill Luce. He reminds Luce of the feeling she’s had that he is familiar, but she still refuses to believe it. Daniel tells Luce all about their past lives together and the places they visited. He knows that white peonies are her favorite because they picked them together. He’s hopelessly in love with Luce and can never resist her.

Luce feels weak and ill. She needs to get away from Daniel. Before she goes, Daniel tells her that it’s good news that he kissed her and that she’s still there.